China’s Communist Party to hold key plenum in Beijing

Senior leaders of China’s ruling Communist Party will gather for a major meeting in October.

According to the state news agency Xinhua, the fifth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee, the party’s top decision-making body, will be held in Beijing from October 26 to 29.

The dates were set on Monday at a meeting of the 21-member Politburo chaired by Chinese President and Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping.

The Central Committee, which has around 200 members, holds closed-door plenary sessions roughly once a year. These meetings typically set or reaffirm the party’s key policy priorities.

The meeting also reviewed a draft decision of the CPC Central Committee on several important issues related to advancing comprehensive and strict governance of the Party. After being revised in light of the opinions expressed during the meeting, the document is expected to be submitted for consideration at the fifth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee.

The upcoming session will be the fifth since the current Central Committee was formed following the Communist Party’s 20th National Congress in 2022. It is also expected to be among the final major meetings of the current committee before the next party congress, scheduled for autumn 2027.

It should be noted that the previous plenary session held in October 2025.

Image: Tyrone Siu / Reuters